View From My Window Seat
by Serendipity545
Summary: Tess/Caitlyn oneshot. "Hey Tess, did I tell you that my new house has a window seat, just like last time?"


Alright, I'm posting this while I'm electronically grounded. Shh!! This took forever to get out. I heard the song, and just knew there was a story in there. Now it's finally out, so yay me. Oh, I got the idea Caity Belle from DramaticStarlet's one shot. Let me know if it bothers you Kaite.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the song, or Camp Rock.

* * *

Oo _We used to paint such pretty pictures, we used to dress this town in gold, _

_Used to stare into my eyes and swear we're never growing old. _oO

"Caity...pick up the phone, Caity Belle." Tess muttered into her cell phone as she eyed her new, shimmery nails.

"Mmmm...Tess? What are you calling me for?" A disorientated Caitlyn asked. Tess gave a long, theatrical sigh.

"Well, if you don't want to talk-"

"Christ Tess, it's midnight here! I start seventh grade tomorrow." Caitlyn sat up in her bed, wondering what would prompt Tess to call her. Sure they were friends at camp, but Tess never called her, she texted and emailed. Tess never called unless-

"Mom's at another party tonight." Unless TJ screwed up again. Caitlyn gave up any fantasies of going back to sleep, turning on her nightstand light and settling on her window seat, pretending she could still see into Tess's window, like old times. Caitlyn almost asked what TJ did this time, but there certain things you just don't ask Tess Tyler. "Caity Belle, did you seriously fall asleep?"

"I swear Tess, if you call me that ridiculous name one more time-"

"You'll come back to L.A. and pull out my gorgeous natural hair out from the roots." Underneath the blasé brush off, Tess wondered if Caitlyn can hear her secret wish for Caity to come back home. The next door neighbors were so _lame_. "Heard it all before...Caity Belle."

Caitlyn rolled her eyes at Tess, even though the blonde can't see her. The view of Chicago was dim at best, and impossible to make out if one were honest. Caitlyn wished her father had actually moved into the city itself. It would be so much more exciting to live in the middle of everything. "Guess what I'm doing right now, Teresa?"

"Don't call me that." Tess scowled as she crawled across her bed to head towards her window seat. She loved looking out at the view, except when she was trying to guess which building her mother was in. Like tonight.

"Did I tell you I have a window seat in this house too, Tess?" Caitlyn queried. "I'm sitting in it right now. God, it brings back memories." Tess silently nodded as she scanned the city's silhouette. She remembered a lot of memories. Happy ones, silly ones, sad ones.

"Remember when we decided to run away to L.A.?" Caitlyn laughed before checking her doorway to see if she woke anyone up. "We were going to get by on looks and charm."

Tess snorted. "I seem to remember that was my plan. Yours, I seem to recall, was a lot more detailed. Didn't you just copy the plan word for word from The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler?"

"Oh, yeah!" Caitlyn snapped her fingers. As she settled back against the window pane, she whispered, "I almost wish we went through with the plan," as she idly played with her pjs drawstring. "It sounded so amazing, I always could see it happening whenever we talked about it. Like a movie unfolding."

"Yeah. I especially like the part when we hit it big, and celebrate the fact that we did it ourselves every night. Partying, having fun, doing what you want, not having to consider others..." Uh-oh, Caitlyn thought. Tess is drifting back towards her mom again.

"Yeah, but it's too bad that it all collapsed when your maid caught you climbing out of your window. Seriously Tess, those flimsy, gold and sparkly pajamas screamed for someone to notice you."

"Hmmph. They were still my favorite pair. Like I'd leave my favorite pair of pjs behind." Caitlyn started playing with her split ends when she happened to glance at the alarm clock.

"Tess, it's one thirty. I've really got to go to bed." Tess immediately responded, and though Caitlyn couldn't be sure, there might have been a hint of desperation.

"You can't!" The stubbornness Caitlyn inherited from her father chose this moment to rear its head.

"Why not?" Tess looked down at her nails. They were chipped, and bitten down to the quick already.

"Cause Mom isn't home yet. I don't like being alone Caitlyn."

"Tess, you have at least two night maids." Tears of frustration stung at Tess's eyes.

"It's not the same, and you know it Caitlyn." For the first time, Caitlyn realizes that Tess has called her by her actual name.

"Right. Sorry." This is beyond awkward right now on Caitlyn's part. How does she deal with a serious Tess? Her heart jumps into her throat when she hears Tess sniffle. Is she _crying_?

"It's just, I've read her biography once. It talked about how she was an only child, with no one but a drunk of a dad, and she still made it big. But she was basically alone, for like, ever. No friends according to the book, no close family, didn't do well in school. And now she's surrounded by people all the time. Always at least three other people, which means me and her never get any time together. And now that your gone, I've realized that I'm just like her." There was no longer a question. Tess was definitely crying. Quietly, but crying all the same.

"Tess, listen to me. You are nothing like your mother. I swear. You're better than what she is." Suddenly, Caitlyn is overcome with the urge to be next to her friend, to shake her as she hugged her tighter. She wanted force Tess to know that she's nothing like her mother.

"I'm not so sure, Caity Belle. I'm gonna grow old and end up like her, I know it." Screw quietly, Tess was hiccupping and sobbing now.

"Tess, Tessie, calm down." Caitlyn racks her brain, trying to find something, some band-aid that will fix Tess up. Caitlyn stares at the window pane until she thinks she can make out a star in the inky blackness. "Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are." Caitlyn keeps singing lullabies until Tess stops crying. When she joins in with,

"..like a diamond in the sky." Caitlyn knows that the worst is over. She crawls back into her bed, phone still pressed to her ear.

"Tess, how about we avoid all the drama adults give by never growing old, kay?" Tess sounds sleepy on the other line as well.

"Swear?"

"Swear. Night Tess."

"Ni--Mom." Is all Tess manages to get out before Caitlyn hears the click of Tess's phone snapping shut. As Caitlyn drifts off to sleep, it occurs to her that maybe Tess's gold pajamas were meant to be noticed.

Just not by the maid.

* * *

Tess hears the sound of her mother's car pull up into the driveway, and shuts off the phone without a second thought. She waits with baited breath. Maybe her mother remembered that today was Dad's birthday after all. Tess remembers how they used to go visit the grave every year on today. And then they would share mom's giant king size bed for the night, both grateful to have each other. Until TJ Tyler suddenly couldn't be seen in a graveyard. Or be weak enough to grieve privately with her daughter.

Her mother's drunken giggles float up to Tess's room, while Tess's heart simultaneously sinks below the floor. Tess peeks over the railing, before shaking her head and slinking back into her bed.

It seems that while Tess is sleeping alone tonight, TJ certainly isn't.

Oo _And all we have is nights we've spent alone_ oO

* * *

Alright, that totally sucked. Totally, utterly sucked. But I can't help posting it. It was originally going somewhere, but it kind of go away from me. The song is called "Old and Out of Tune" by Patent Pending. If you go and listen to the song, you will go "WTF? How did she get this one shot out of that song?" Answer: 'Cause I'm special like that. Now review please, as you've already read. Serendipity545.


End file.
